Muslims on Twitter Say They Have Better Things to Do Than Join ISIS

A plea by the leader of the Islamic State terrorist group for Muslims to fight on its behalf against “disbelievers” prompted many to respond online with defiance and sarcasm.

The audio recording of the leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, released last week on jihadist social media sites, was the latest attempt to lure would-be militants to fight for the Islamic State’s retrograde self-proclaimed caliphate.

The Twitter backlash seems to have been prompted by Iyad El-Baghdadi, an Arab Spring activist from the United Arab Emirates who lives in Norway. Mr. El-Baghdadi posted translated excerpts from the Islamic State leader’s audio message on Twitter, and encouraged his followers to respond by trolling the extremist group and its online supporters.

For days, Twitter users around the world have been taking shots at the Islamic State, sharing all of the things they would rather be doing than fighting for the group.

@iyad_elbaghdadi Too busy being part of a civilised and functioning society. Also, Sherlock S04 in 4 days. I can't miss the first episode.

On Wednesday, Mr. El-Baghdadi — whom some news organizations mistakenly identified as the Islamic State leader because his surname is similar to the militant’s nom de guerre — made an effort to keep the digital resistance alive.

This week’s campaign is the latest in a long-running fight by Internet vigilantes to disrupt the Islamic State’s online propaganda.

“Basically, our work not only cripples their ability to spread propaganda, but also wastes their time,” a Twitter vigilante who goes by the screen name The Doctor told The New York Times in March.

The Islamic State has regularly used social media to spread its message, recruit fighters, and threaten “infidels” and other enemies. The insidious threat it represents appears to motivate Muslims like Mr. El-Baghdadi to fight the extremists at every tweet.

So my mild irritation aside, big picture, it's always good when Muslims troll ISIS and demonstrate once again how much they reject it.